field trips

As I now work two jobs, I have not been posting much. So, this better be a good one.

Here are some quotes overheard on the many field trips I have taken my students on over the past few months.

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"Whooooaaa, it is fancy down here. Look, they spell shit out for these rich people. Look, 'one-hundred twenty-one,' instead of just the number. These white people are crazy." (By the Museum of Natural History)

*

"All right guys, who did we get the Statue of Liberty from?"
"France!"
"Right, and back when France settled in the United States, where did they settle?"
"Europe!"
"No, in the United States."
"Massachusetts!"
"No, good, that was one of the original 13 colonies, but that was not French."
"New England!"
"No, that was England. That's why it's called New England. What city or state in the United States?"
"Canada!"
"Ok, awesome, when they settled in North America, they settled in Canada. But what city or state as well?"
"Georgia?"
"Getting closer..."
"New Orleans!"
"Awesome, and what state was that it?"
"Georgia?"
"Nope."
"Louisiana?"
"Niiiiiice."
(At Ellis Island)

*

"If my Yu-Gi-Oh cards fall into the water, I am jumping in after them."
"Someone just died falling off the Staten Island ferry."
"Well, I don't care, I am going to jump in after them and hope I live."
"How much did your cards cost?"
"All together, about $30."
"Ok, I think your life is worth more than $30. I will pay for new Yu-Gi-Oh cards. But I have a better idea, how about you just keep them in your pocket so that you don't lose them?"
"Oh... ok. Yeah."
(On the ferry to Liberty Island)

*

"So, what did you guys learn today?"
"I learned that when immigrants came through Ellis Island they had to stay in small bunk beds in small rooms with lots of people."
"I learned that they had to pass health inspections to get into America."
"I learned that 10 minutes is not really enough time to eat a full lunch."
(At Battery Park)